Creative Colorado

May 2012

Financial Support and Incentives

CCI Logo Colorado Creative Industries Offering Grant Information Sessions

Grant information sessions provide training on the division's largest grant program, Colorado Creates. Creative Industries staff will present an overview of the agency's programs and services and offer training on how to apply for a Colorado Creates grant.

Colorado Creates provides critical financial support that helps nonprofit cultural organizations and government agencies produce and present arts and cultural activities, bringing jobs to their communities and enhancing the quality of life. For Fiscal Year 2011-2012, 132 grants were awarded totaling $908,500, reaching 32 counties across the state. Grants range from $4,000 to $10,000 and may be for either general operating support or specific projects.

Guidelines for the 2012-2013 Colorado Creates grant program are available on the Creative Industries website here, along with the link to the online grant system. The grant deadline is June 21, 2012.

Grant applicants for Colorado Creates must be Colorado 501(c) (3) nonprofit organizations, departments of Colorado public colleges or universities, or government agencies. Applicants must have been providing public arts or cultural heritage programs in Colorado for at least three years by the application deadline. The remaining grant info sessions are listed below. Click here for locations and times. To confirm the location and RSVP, or if you have questions about the tour, email coloarts@state.co.us.

Denver Metro Area - Tuesday, May 8
Greeley - Wednesday, May 9
Longmont - Thursday, May 10
Colorado Springs - Wednesday, May 16
Pueblo - Thursday, May 17
Salida - Friday, May 18

All Applicants Must Register with New Online Grant System

The application process for Colorado Creates grants is through our new online grants management system, and ALL applicants must create a "New User" account to start the application. After you have visited our website and read the guidelines to determine if you are eligible for this award, you may register and start your application. Applicants will use this system to answer narrative questions, upload a financial form and support materials and submit the completed application. If you experience any problems using the online system, please contact Jeanette Albert at 303-892-3838 or Jeanette.albert@state.co.us.

Midori's Partners in Performance Grant Program

Since 2003, Partners in Performance has collaborated with 16 communities in states from Maine to Washington to present world-class chamber music programs by artists like Midori and pianist Jonathan Biss. Applications for the 2013/2014 season are due May 15, 2012. Looking to revitalize interest in chamber music in your area? Apply to Partners in Performance today! Visit www.pipmusic.org for more information.

Congratulations to Two Colorado Nonprofits for Receiving NEA Grants

These National Endowment for the Arts grants support exemplary projects in arts education, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, local arts agencies, media arts, museums, music, opera, presenting, theater, musical theater, and visual arts, and provide support to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations. Through these projects, the public will have increasing opportunities to engage with the arts, whether it's in a school, in the media, or in their community, making our cities, towns, and neighborhoods more vibrant places to live.

Colorado Humanities; Greenwood Village, CO; $60,000
To support Writers in the Schools Colorado. Trained master teachers and writers will conduct 6- to 10-week residencies. Student work will be published in bound anthologies presented to each participating student and school library and students will read their works aloud for an audience of peers, teachers, family, and friends.

Mizel Museum; Denver, CO; $17,000
To support Stories Matter, a museum education project. Students will have the opportunity to work with acclaimed artist Dona Laurita for three months on several projects incorporating writing, photography, visual arts, and communication. Student-created art works will contribute to the museum's new traveling exhibit to be developed for local libraries and schools. Read more.

Arts Education and Workplace Development

Arts Education Planning Grants Available to Schools

The deadline for the 2012-2013 Success through Art (StART) Arts Education Planning grant application is Friday, August 31, 2012. Applicants must be Colorado public schools, including charters. Although the grant application requires collaborations with artists, arts organizations and higher education, only K-12 institutions may apply. Private or sectarian schools are not eligible.

These grants support the development a school-based strategic plan for in-school arts programs related to standards-based arts instruction and/or integration of the arts a fundamental part of the basic curriculum for students. Such plans should also support teachers in developing instructional practices around the arts as content areas and as integrated content in other subjects.

Guidelines for the StART Planning Grant and the online application will be available on the Creative Industries' website in late May. For questions about the Arts Education Planning Grants and the StART Schools program, contact Sheila Sears, Arts Education Manager at Sheila.Sears@state.co.us.

Denver School Gets $20,000 Grant for Arts Education

Noel Community Arts School in northeast Denver was one of eight schools nationally to be included in the new "Turnaround: Arts" initiative, A program of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). The school will be awarded arts materials and musical instruments, as well as opportunities for in-school training and professional development, over the next two years.

Participating schools were competitively selected from nominations by state and municipal authorities. In addition to being recipients of a School Improvement Grant, criteria for selection included demonstrated need and opportunity, strong school leadership with district support and a commitment to arts education. http://turnaroundarts.pcah.gov/

Academy School District 20 in Colorado Springs Named One of the Best Communities for Music Education

Academy School District 20 in Colorado Springs has been named one of the 2012 Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. In all, 176 communities out of 237 that submitted surveys were recognized, including 166 school districts and 10 schools. Read more.

Colorado as a Creative Hub

Creative Industries Summit a Huge Success

The Colorado Creative Industries Summit 2012: Cultivating Common Ground, was held April 12 & 13th at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Breckenridge, Colorado. The event, which was originally planned for 150 attendees, expanded to include 250 participants over two days. Visit our website to find more fabulous photos by Paul Docktor and Heather Leavitt Martinez's wonderful visual recordings.

ColoradoCreates.com Launches

ColoradoCreates.com is a website devoted to sharing news and information about the Creative Industries. ColoradoCreates.com answers these questions: What does it mean to be creative in Colorado? Why are the Creative Industries flourishing? Where can one find the best of Colorado Culture? How can it be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more?

"ColoradoCreates.com is the premiere hub for all things cultural and creative in Colorado," says editor and curator Leanne Goebel. "ColoradoCreates.com features the groundbreaking, mind-blowing and truly inspiring people, businesses and happenings in Colorado."

At ColoradoCreates.com one will learn about the history of Glen Eyrie castle in Colorado Springs, watch a video of performance poet Dominique Ashaheed who currently holds two world titles at the same time, learn about visual art spaces in Denver and Fort Collins, read what inspires chef Dakota Soifer of Café Aion in Boulder and find aggregated news from around the state on Colorado culture and creative entrepreneurs.

At ColoradoCreates.com video game production meets contemporary sculpture and runway fashion meets culinary art and everything in between collides for a cultural mash up that will be the source for all that's artistic in Colorado

Creative Communities

Creative District: Denver's Art District on Santa Fe

Two Creative Districts were certified by Colorado Creative Industries in March. The two districts - Denver's Art District on Santa Fe and the Salida Arts District - immediately began talking about the possibility of a kind of Sister City arrangement, exchanging cultural exhibits and performances.

Meanwhile, the two communities are hard at work on their next steps. Denver's Art District on Santa Fe is has contracted with Pauline Herrara Serianni to work on public relations, administrative organization and attracting more tourists to the Art District. Arts districts are all about integrating the arts with all of the other systems that create a vibrant community, from beauty to safety to adequate transportation; so a task force of neighborhood stakeholders and city officials is being formed to plan for major infrastructure and street-scaping improvements in the Art District and its surrounding neighborhood. And the District and the City of Denver have met to begin work on a 5-year vision plan for the Art District.

You'll hear about Salida's next steps in the next issue of this e-news, and each month, we'll feature the work of communities statewide who are building creative districts. They're all exciting - and they are all different!

Professional Development and Networking

Art of the Cowboy Makers Contest

Attention hat makers, saddle makers, leather carvers and other western gear makers! Entries for The 4th Annual Art of the Cowboy Makers Contest are being accepted through June 1. The competition will be held June 15-17, 2012 in conjunction with the Loveland Old West Round-Up at The Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. The contest offers ten categories including Boots, Braiding, Chaps, Cinches, Engraving, Hats, Leather Carving, Saddles, Spurs and Youth. All entries accepted into the contest will also be taken to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame for a summer exhibit. There is a fee for each entry, and awards include trophy buckles, cash and ribbons. This is a great opportunity for traditional artists to have their work judged by their peers and also voted on by the general public. Even if you are not a maker of traditional cowboy gear, plan to visit the event and enjoy the creativity of many talented artists. For more details and applications please visit the event website at www.artofthecowboymakers.com.

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Could Have a Worker for Your Arts Organization

Across Colorado, too many workers with proven skills are currently left out of the workplace. As Colorado's leading placement organization for people with disabilities, DVR is working to change this by bridging talent and ability so companies and employees succeed.

DVR is committed to helping their employer partners find candidates who are skilled, loyal, and committed to your success. Even after placement, employers and employees get ongoing support from DVR's professional staff, including job training, guidance on the ADA regulations, and information on disability and employment guidelines. They can also help with financial incentives and facilitation of tax credits. Read more.

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